Uncharted
by Cranberry Octopus
Summary: It all started with a house fire, which wasn't his fault by the way, totally not his fault.  And he wasn't trying to break them up, really, he wasn't.  He just thought that they should wait a while.  Like fifty years or something.  KakaSaku.  Non-mass. AU


Foreword:

This year has been a tough year for me; with school, work and other projects on the side, I barely had any time for myself. I cannot express enough how thankful I am for coming in contact with the Kakashi/Sakura community. You may not know it, but you (and my beta) brought me out of a deep depression that has been haunting me for years, which is why I decided to participate in this fic exchange. Although, this is not a holiday fic, this was written for the holidays. However, this may be written for specifically one person, I want you guys to think of this giant fic (and the fic to come – yes, _the_ fic) as a huge thank you. And this is what the holidays really are about for me, being complete and finding your inner peace within yourself. A time for family, peace and good will towards men (yeah, we know that – getting to the point). So, be as it may, have a happy holiday with friends and family and keep your heart open to all the little things in life. It was really interesting to write this little snippet, especially as a gift to someone else. It's really interesting to write AU fics as opposed to the canon fics that I normally write. Although this is slightly still – well, I don't want to ruin it for you. This was a great pleasure to write. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing this.

Happy Holidays!

&.

"I hope you die a merciless and horrible death." Sakura hissed out at him rather viciously before trudging away. Kakashi didn't even bat an eyelash, and he continued reading until he heard her stomp back over to him. The book he was reading (i.e. Icha Icha) was lowered only a fraction so he could give her an 'as-if' look when she suddenly reeled her hand back and smacked him across the face.

Snapping his book shut, Kakashi turned to look at the young woman, but she was already too busy fuming away from him and wreaking more misfortune over other people. _Just what the hell did he do_?

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**moldycookies** presents

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An anonymous gift-fic exchange

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(from the KakaSaku LJ Comm)

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The AU, Non-Massacre, Non-Kyuubi Release, Non-Etc.

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_**Uncharted**_

For **starlightdawn**

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"You are a terrible writer. A _terrible_ writer." – _Sam_

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Beta'd by **Paisley May**

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The house fire was not his fault; even though his lovely niece (who was kind enough to take care of him in his old age, as she so kindly reminded him every day,_ loudly_) protested otherwise. He was sure that burning down Itachi's newly built house in a last-ditch attempt to destroy his marriage before it began was most definitely not his fault.

His first defense was the fact that it did not work, and his plans always work.

Not that it mattered, anyway, because he was not trying to destroy Itachi's love life. Really, he wasn't. Just because he voiced that Itachi was too young to marry such a… mature girl, didn't mean that he disliked the idea of them being together! Heavens, no! He just didn't like them together now! Madara thinks that he should wait a bit; like fifty or sixty years, not _too_ long.

But fifty years was apparently too long - and old, according to Sasuke. So, they decided to elope, but Madara immediately put his foot down; told them to wait a few weeks in order to arrange a proper ceremony (certainly _not_ to give him enough time for formulate another plan). And that's when the house fire happened.

Contrary to popular belief, it did not start with a cigarette. Or a bang. Or an explosion or anything remotely akin to the matter. Or him, for that matter; it was obviously Itachi's uncontrollable fiancée. Madara thought those things were dreadful, especially when they started accidental house fires, which can erase the point of origin if it's incinerated enough so that it's nearly impossible to lift a print. Or, at least, that's what the Uchiha Police Force told him when he asked nonchalantly three weeks ago, right after the commencement of the wedding planning.

So, obviously, it wasn't his fault. In fact, he would go as far to say that he had nothing to do with it.

_Nothing to do with it._

_**Nothing.**_

Madara was not smart enough to be an evil genius, nor was he smart enough to pour his own milk, apparently. So just how could Mikoto blame this scandal on him when she wouldn't let him pour a damn glass of milk? Really, it was like being the founder of the Uchiha Clan was nothing! Those kids gave him no respect –

"You old bag! How _dare_ you try to ruin our wedding!"

"Ah, nice to see you, too, Itachi's fiancée."

Itachi's fiancée, who shall remain unnamed, because she is not worthy enough for him to learn her name, huffed at him with her hands on her hips in what Madara would deem as attempting to intimidate an old man. That ugly kimono Itachi bought her three months ago was wrinkling terribly, and he'll be damned if he didn't say that she picked it out herself. There! He said it; he hates her taste in clothing. Really, it was worse than that ass-bow Sasuke came back with when he 'ran away' to Orochimaru so that he could be stronger than his teammate. And that was ridiculous, because no one was stronger than an Uchiha.

Her face wrinkled up in frustration; it was quite ugly. "You – you – you _vile_ excuse of an old man!"

"Is that all you can do? Hurl insults at a defenseless, valued, elderly citizen of society?"

Her bright blue eyes began to disappear beneath folds of scrunched up eyelids. "No – no, I can do other things!" she insisted lamely, somewhat questioning herself of her sanity and whether or not she left her dignity back home. The burnt down one. "You burnt down our house!" she accused, pointing a rude finger at him angrily.

That was rude. See, Madara is just saving Itachi with the trouble of dealing with an impolite wife. "No, I most certainly did not. Ask the police, they said I had nothing to do with it. How could I do it? Mikoto-chan won't even let me pour myself a glass of milk. How could I _possibly_ accomplish the task of committing arson?"

Perhaps it was his arrogance or utter and obvious disdain for conversing with her that caused her outburst, but she felt that she really couldn't blame herself.

The fiancée growled at Itachi's great, great (a million more greats) uncle. How was it possible that such a bitter and foul creature was still living? Why had fate decided to let him live? "I don't know how you did it, Madara-sama, but if you think one house fire going to shake me then you've got another thing coming! I'll-" and that's when her face promptly turned into a look of complete horror. Her face continued to remain that way until she fainted to the floor.

He knew that she wasn't strong enough. Can't even handle a little poison; this is why Itachi should marry a kunoichi. Sure, she may not be pure (seduction missions and what not, but sometimes the men had to do them also), but she could at least handle a little poisoned senbon prick to the finger.

Like Sasuke's teammate, for example; now _she_ was a prime candidate to be an Uchiha. She had built up quite a reputation for herself. One of the Hokage's son's best friends; apprentice to one of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade; medic-nin of Konoha who apparently could smash boulders with her fingernail _and_ she was already close to some of the Uchiha family. There was just one problem; her pink hair.

Ah, well, Madara was sure that Uchiha genes were more dominant. And they could always dye their hair if need be.

So it was settled, Sakura was going to be Itachi's new wife.

Speaking of wives, Madara's attention was soon brought back to the girl twitching in what he supposed could be pure and writhing agony. "Well, can't have Itachi mourning over the loss of his dear fiancée, no matter how better off he is without her."

Even though Madara was pretty sure that he could literally get away with murder, he didn't think Itachi would take so well to him offing his fiancée. So, for probably the first time in his life, Madara did the right thing. He made someone else do it.

"Madara-sama, if you want some milk – _oh my Kami_!" the maid shrieked, "What happened?"

The Uchiha feigned innocence, "She fainted," he stated blandly while somehow managing to look innocent, to the maid at least; he knew that Itachi wouldn't believe him for a second. "Can you send someone to get her to the hospital?"

"Yes, Madara-sama. Immediately, Madara-sama." The maid then ran out into the hallway and began to shout orders, "Someone summon Sakura-san; Itachi's fiancée fainted!"

The old man smirked to himself; it was all going according to his elaborate plan.

&.

There were very few things that Kakashi had serious issues with. One of them was not being on a mission; another was not being on a mission and having to do other mundane work classified as a 'mission'. As known as D-Class missions, Hatake Kakashi was now subject to the same kind of torture he was forced to endure since the week when he was a tender and lowly genin. But this was no ordinary mission. _No_, of course, it can't be an ordinary D-Class mission, because then that would be too easy.

Che.

He, Hatake Kakashi, was being _forced_ to become a jounin teacher.

A _jounin_ teacher.

Not ANBU! He can't be a freaking trainer for new recruits in the program – oh, goodness, no! He'd utterly _petrify_ the poor souls who have seen _worse in their bathrooms_ – because he has to use his skills to train the _young people_, as his loving Sensei so nicely put it.

Ah, but Minato's interesting (i.e. cruel and unusual, inhumane, downright _**evil**_) way of punishing Kakashi for his wrong doing of reading a book – which he did not show to those lovely academy students! (willingly) – did not end there; he not only made him revoke his ANBU status (his rank, his sensei – the Hokage, the only thing higher than ANBU – took his rank!) but he also assigned him to observe Obito's team.

_Obito's team_.

Now, it's not that Kakashi didn't particularly favor Obito's team. It's just that sometimes, Team Seven could be… well, a bit overbearing. And by overbearing, he means that they're all freaking psychos bent on the destruction (and complete annihilation of felines – that was surprisingly Sasuke's idea) of Konoha. Really.

He was right on time, as per usual, and Obito and his team were _late_. Ah, never mind, Sasuke was on time, at least.

"Sasuke," Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement.

The Uchiha bristled at the new presence, and looked up to see his sensei's best friend. "Ohayo, Hatake-san." He greeted politely with manners probably ingrained in him since birth. Kakashi hadn't the slightest idea why, however, since shinobi clans normally were not known for their exemplary manners.

Nevertheless, the shinobi greeted him back. "Ohayo… Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke twitched at the honorific; as if it brought back some horrible, traumatic memory that needed die a thousand deaths before being sealed into the belly of the death god. "Why are you here?" he asked rather rudely. Hm, perhaps those manners were merely for show.

"Apparently, my shinobi prowess is so good that it needs to be shared with others."

Sasuke raised a brow. "_And_?"

"You know, I've never known any Uchiha besides Obito to be nosy." Kakashi flippantly commented as his signature book came out. As a reaction, Sasuke averted his gaze from the forbidden book and rubbed the back of his neck in order to hide his blush.

The boy cleared his throat. "We're ninja; it's our job to be nosy." He paused, "Shisui and my mother can be quite nosy when they want to be."

"You're quite talkative, aren't you?"

"So you're being demoted?" Sasuke interjected.

Kakashi twitched, and snapped his book shut. According to him, yes, he was being demoted; according to everyone else in Konoha, it was considered to be an honor. An honor that was high above the ANBU ranks, an honor that Kakashi did not want. Technically, he wasn't being demoted; he was given the title of special jounin, which was like ANBU, but not exactly.

And now, he was going to be a jounin teacher.

The Hatake gave his subordinate (Sasuke was a jounin, like him, but Kakashi had years of experience and could flip his newly jounin ass over at the drop of a hat) a stern look. "No." he growled, "I have to observe your team."

"Why?" he asked smugly, as if he already knew the answer.

Instead of giving Sasuke the satisfaction of confirming that he was demoted (although, Minato-sensei had insisted that it was a great honor to be trusted with the shaping of three other people's lives), Kakashi decided to completely ignore him. "Have I ever told you about the time-"

"Sasuke! There you are!" Sakura suddenly came into the clearing, "Your mother wanted me to give this to you." And in her hands, Sakura held out a bento box. Sasuke immediately glared at his teammate; to which she just glared back and shoved the box into his hands. "You could at least say thank you, jerk."

Poor, poor Sasuke. The sulking Uchiha balefully noticed that as Sakura was expressing her intense dislike for him, Kakashi was busy ogling her. "Is there anything else that Sasuke's mommy wanted to say?" he teased, eye creasing up happily.

The pinkette blinked up at him and blushed slightly. Why didn't they notice him? "Ohayo, Hatake-san." She said demurely.

"Ah, no need to be so formal, Sakura-chan; you may call me Kakashi."

Her lips twitched up into a smile, "Of course, Kakashi-san."

His heart fluttered involuntarily before being choked down by sensible logic. Kakashi wilted slightly, but remained smiling until he brought his book out again.

Apparently, Sakura wasn't paying attention anything, much to Sasuke's dismay and horror because Sakura was the only person on the team who could hold a legitimate conversation, and decided to casually engage Kakashi in a conversation. "Ne, Kakashi-san – _Eh_?"

The man barely bristled; "Hm?" he hummed lowly as he made eye-contact with Sakura, still immersed in his book.

Sakura twitched, blushed and averted her gaze from his face. "Uh, never mind."

Awkward silence followed. Sasuke inwardly noticed that if Sakura's face got any redder, she would be mistaken for a tomato and therefore, he might try to eat her. He thought about voicing this awkward thought, but at the threat of bodily harm (and more awkward silence), he decided against it.

"So why are you here?" Obito suddenly asked from behind his students, who both jumped and shrieked at his sudden entrance.

"Obito-sensei!" Sakura yelped, hand pressed against her chest, "Don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," he quickly apologized, "but how else am I going to keep you three – er, _two_ – on your toes? By the way, where's Naruto?" The older Uchiha chuckled at his only female student's antics before raising a questioning brow at his teammate. Sakura grumbled something about cats in trees and Jiraiya-sensei before plopping herself on the ground.

Seeing that he wasn't getting anything out of Sakura, he turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke?"

"Beats me."

"Sorry I'm late! There was a ca – ah – ah – _Sakura-chan_!" Naruto squeaked. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Hn. She's here to train, dobe."

"_Naruto_." She growled. "_I'm_ here to train. _ I'm_ here to become a better kunoichi. Why are you here? Well, you're here to _die by my hands_!" Sakura launched herself at Naruto but was quickly restrained by her sensei. "Obito-sensei, let – me – _go_!" she flailed and struggled against him.

"S-sakura! It wasn't my fault; it was Ero-sennin's idea! I swear! I didn't know that we were going to tie you up half naked and throw you in the closet-"

"We?" Obito repeated incredulously as Sakura continued to claw her way toward Naruto. Sakura was abruptly shoved back by Obito when he came to a sudden realization. "You locked her in a _closet_?" he snarled, Sharingan already activated and his natural protectiveness of all things virtue of Sakura coming to the surface.

"An – and," Sakura began to explain from behind Obito-sensei, who happened to be simultaneously protecting her and Naruto, as she shakily pointed a finger at Naruto. "And… _hesawmenaked_!" she rushed out, making eye-contact with Kakashi before blushing furiously at the thought and memory.

The Uchiha blinked at his student and furrowed his brow in concentration. "He… what?"

Sasuke furrowed his brow, too; it seems that Sasuke couldn't figure out the dilemma either. "He made her pancakes?" Sasuke suggested uneasily. "He caught her _candid_?"

"Landed?"

"Branded?" The two Uchihas then thoughtfully considered the idea of Sakura sporting an ugly welt on her posterior while Naruto and one of the legendary Sannin held the hot prod.

The medic-nin rolled her eyes at their stupidity. Really, they were supposed to be Uchiha! Not the fourth's offspring. "No!" she scowled, "He saw me _naked_." Behind Obito and Sakura, Kakashi was frowning underneath his mask, even the pages of his book were crinkling under the pressure he was forcing upon them. Finally the book snapped shut.

"_Naked_?" he growled.

And Sakura inwardly mourned that she could blush at that statement, even out of context – _way_ out of context.

"Oh!" Obito smiled as it dawned on him, "Wait – what? _What_?" It was then when Obito realized that Kakashi was slowly inching closer to Naruto with a kunai in his hand. "Wait!" he yelled, causing Sakura to wince. "Why do you care?"

"My moral compass?" he shrugged. "Also, he didn't bring me. _And_ he locked a young lady in a closet, which sounds more like a _Naruto_ idea than a _Jiraiya_ idea considering who his teammate his and how close said teammate is to her apprentice."

"But she was in a towel!"

Moral compass be damned, Kakashi was interested. "You saw her in a towel?" he regarded his book for a moment before adopting an amused look, "Very nice."

"Kakashi-san!" a female voice (probably Sakura – no, it _was_ Sakura, but Kakashi didn't want to acknowledge that) yelled.

"Well, come on, Sakura, naked is one thing, but towel-clad is another." Obito explained while he attempted to defend his teammate half-heartedly.

Kakashi blinked at the scene before him. He was supposed to learn from _them_? What was he supposed to learn? _The Art of Betraying Your Friends? _

Sakura was absolutely appalled by her teammates' (and her sensei, too!) behavior. They were openly discussing how her degree of nakedness made what Naruto did better than what it actually was, which was horrible. He was horrible; the worst teammate she has ever had. "Are you guys seriously-"

"Haruno-san."

The pink-haired kunoichi nodded in greeting at the ANBU. "That's me – not that you were asking."

The brunette ANBU ignored her off-handed comment about his sternness and continued with his assignment. "You're needed at the hospital immediately."

Kakashi and Obito stiffened and shifted closer to the younger shinobi. "Why?" Sakura asked, "Was the village attacked?"

"Ah… no…" the male trailed off and shifted his mask to the side of his face, so that he could whisper properly without the other males knowing his identity. "Haruno-san," he whispered, "Uchiha Itachi's house burnt down, and as a result, his fiancée fainted. Itachi has specifically requested that you see to her well-being, seeing as you are the only medic-nin he trusts completely."

The kunoichi inwardly rolled her eyes and hit Sasuke on the arm. Sasuke, who was obviously the innocent one here, gave her an incredulous look. "_What did I do_?" he asked, slightly irate that he was hit for no reason. Naruto was the one who locked her in the closet.

"Nothing." She dismissed flippantly. "Pass that on to your brother."

"Did something happen to aniki?" he asked, his adorable (as Sakura liked to call it) affection for his older brother coming to the surface.

Sakura smiled softly. "You're so cute!" she cooed as she pinched his cheek, "But seriously, nothing's wrong with your brother." Then she turned towards the waiting ANBU. "I suppose you're here to escort me?" he nodded. Letting out a sigh, Sakura tossed her Medic kit to Kakashi. "_Use it_." She ordered, before quickly adding, "Wisely." The ANBU mask was back in place and Sakura nodded for him to take off.

They were off in a breeze.

&.

Uchiha Itachi was not known for gracing the hospital with his presence. In fact, he was most known for being thrown into the ground by Sakura (much to Sasuke's chagrin) because of his lack of presence at the hospital after a mission (also to Sasuke's chagrin – that boy seemed to carry the burden of everything), and for being promptly wacked in the face by his lovely and caring fiancé.

But none of that mattered anymore because his fiancé was currently in critical condition being treated by the only person he discreetly (because Uchihas were discreet about everything) and mostly trusted. He only mostly trusted because ever since she got over her little crush on Sasuke, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was now targeted on him. Or at least that's what Madara told him.

But, oh, how wrong he was.

Just then, the subject of his thoughts walked into the room with a clipboard in hand and her standard dress on her form. "Haruno-san." Itachi greeted politely while his fiancé remained on the hospital bed, writhing in what he could assume to be as the equivalent of pain. Or so he's heard, because Uchiha Itachi never got hit before.

By anyone else besides Sakura.

Sakura's nose wrinkled in distaste at his formality. "Weasel-chan," Sakura giggled when he made a noise at the offending nickname. "There's no need to be formal."

"Ah," he began, "We are not friends, Haruno-san."

The pinkette gave him a cross look, "'Tachi-chan, do you _really_ want me to continue with this argument?"

And, without missing a beat, Itachi answered, "Of course, _Saku-chan_," and promptly smirked at her when she began to sputter and blush.

The kunoichi blanched. If any of her teammates were there (especially, Naruto), they would have teased her mercilessly first, and then attacked Itachi for having that kind of relationship with Sakura. Of course, they would inevitably fail because no one laid their hands on Itachi unless they were Sakura or his fiancé (she had yet to learn her name). Finally, after much debating with herself, Sakura cleared her throat and brought her fully undivided attention to her patient.

"Now, um, do you know how this happened?"

The poor girl's face contorted into what Sakura would describe as pain and slight confusion before spitting out a garbled answer. Sakura looked at Itachi, who just gave her an annoyed look, as if _he_ could translate. Sakura crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look before nodding her head in his fiancée's direction.

He stared at her.

"Itachi!" Sakura growled, "Go… be _comforting._"

"No." he replied rather childishly, which happened to cause Sakura's right eye-brow to twitch irritably. See, this is why she would never, ever, ever get married, ever. Then, just to spite Sakura, he turned toward his fiancé, "Who did this to you?"

The pinkette opened her mouth to retort when the garbled words started to make sense. "U-Uchih-Uchiha… Ma-ma-mad-Madara."

The male cursed under his breath. He knew that his great, great (a million greats) uncle was up to something, and this kind of thing was exactly right up his alley. Sure, it was dirty and underhanded to poison his great, great (a million greats) nephew's fiancé, but Itachi knew that it was because he cared for the image of the clan and for Itachi's happiness.

If his fiancé had any idea of his intentions she would probably think it was rather endearing; Sakura, on the other hand, would find it highly annoying and beat the man – no matter how old – within an inch of his life. And this is why she decided to marry a nice civilian girl who didn't know how to manipulate chakra or the seventy-five ways to kill a person without touching them. Yet that's who Madara preferred him to marry, and it infuriated Itachi that he did because he had no idea why. Itachi regarded his great, great (a million greats) uncle's opinion highly.

But Itachi was not going to stand for anymore of his meddling.

"My uncle." He stated with edge already in his tone, "My uncle did this to you."

"Y-yes." She stuttered, "I-itachi, we – we should talk."

Sakura immediately shoved her fist in her mouth to prevent herself from cackling. Despite the fact that this was a serious moment between the couple, Sakura couldn't help but think that this was the beginning of an 'it's not you; it's me' chat. And that it was an Uchiha being dumped just made it all the more enjoyable.

"Of course, darling."

"We… we need to break up."

The medic-nin's eyes widened before she cleared her throat and attempted to rattle off some excuse about other patients. "I'll be back later to check on your condition…" As soon as the door was shut, Sakura let out a howl of laughter. Uchiha Itachi was getting dumped! She rubbed her hands together; oh, this was gold.

Sakura would have to thank Madara for invoking such a wonderful thing.

"What, may I ask, is so funny, _Haruno-san_?"

The kunoichi froze. _Speak of the devil and he will come_. "Oh – um, nothing. I mean, it is something, but I – you know, Itachi should be done now. He should be the one to tell you anyway."

"Tell me what, _Haruno-san_?"

Sakura turned to face him fully. Why was he saying her name like that?

"Something important, Uchiha-sama, but it's not my place to tell you. Itachi will tell you, I assure you."

Suddenly, the door slammed and out came a very disgruntled (or as disgruntled as an Uchiha could get) looking Itachi; his gaze fixed on his great, great (a million greats) uncle and narrowed. Blinking back her surprise, Sakura remained as still as possible, lest Itachi notice her and take out his frustration on her.

"I hope you are pleased with yourself, Madara,"

Madara smiled mirthfully. He couldn't help it! He just prevented what could have been a horrible mistake. "Why wouldn't I be? My nephew's fiancé is in good condition."

"Aa. You see, but she is not."

The elder Uchiha's brow creased in confusion. "She is dead?" She couldn't be dead! That wasn't a part of the plan. Yes, she didn't like her, and yes he wanted her to die, but Madara found killing people for such trifle matters was tasteless and immature.

"No." the young man bit out. "The wedding is off."

A petite hand rested on his shoulder and its owner gave him a sympathetic look. As funny as it was to see him get dumped, Sakura didn't actually think the girl was serious. For all she knows, she could have been delusional or high off the morphine she was given. "Oh, Itachi, I'm so sorry."

He shook her off. "It is quite alright."

Sakura frowned. "Do you… do you know why?"

"Of course."

"If this is about your crazy clan then you should have fought for her."

Itachi let in a deep breath, which was his version of sighing, and trained his disheartened eyes on her. "You know as well as I do that it does not work that way, Sakura-san."

The pink-haired medic-nin frowned once more before placing a reassuring hand on his right shoulder. "You'll find someone strong enough to handle you and your crazy clan."

"Yes… I suppose." He agreed, too focused on not turning around to say anything remotely close to arguing. His left hand found her petite, callused hand and accepted the firm squeeze she gave him when he grabbed it. He lightly squeezed back before returning her hand. "Thank you, Sakura." If it was Obito-sensei or even Sasuke doing this action, Sakura would have thought nothing of it, but the fact that Itachi actually acknowledged her comforting gesture spoke volumes in how much he was hurting.

"You're welcome."

And there, in the hospital, right outside of his ex-fiancé's hospital room, Itachi took comfort in one of his closest friends while Madara watched the entire scene.

And so, his evilly hatched plan began.

Let the games begin.

&.

Give her a knife and watch her throw it rather horribly back at you. Give her a pan and watch her beat you within an inch of your life for even suggesting that she'd make dinner. Hand her a kunai, and sure, she'll throw it accurately. But all those things were trivial compared to the one thing she excelled at besides being beautiful.

Flowers. Planting them, arranging them, selling them. Yes, she loved it all.

Yet there was something above flowers that Ino loved and excelled at. Gossiping. And boy, did she gossip, especially when it came to people she knew. She loved holding that somewhat valuable piece of information over their heads so that they would do her bidding; she loved having that power over them.

In fact, she had just come across the most tantalizing piece of gossip ever. Hatake Kakashi was buying someone flowers. Well, she could be mistaken. He could just be browsing. But what kind of man like him would be caught dead in a flower shop unless it was for someone special or for a mission?

The bells tinkled again, signaling that someone else was entering the shop. An Uchiha. Why would an Uchiha be in a flower shop? Was she being summoned by the Hokage? Was the village being attack? Should she go get her mother and hide?

She didn't know his name, but she was sure that she saw him once or twice around the village. He was about her age, give or take a few years, and averagely attractive. Ino knew she had seen him before – wait, was he buying flowers?

Yes, he was definitely buying someone flowers.

"Ohayo, Hatake-san!" Ino greeted loudly, catching the attention of every now amused customer within the perimeter. The blond girl quickly waved off a customer needing assistance to attend to Kakashi. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, nearly giddy with excitement.

The silver-haired special jounin froze and turned around slowly. That voice was unmistakable. It was Ino, Sakura's best friend. Everyone knew that, Obito knew that, even Naruto knew that. He knew he should have gone to the other flower shop!

"Well?" she prompted, subtly pushing him toward the most expensive rack of roses.

"It's for a girl."

Well, duh. "Well, duh." Ino stated. "But _who_ is it for?"

As always, Kakashi remained vague. "Someone special," he answered, and it was true. Sakura was someone special, and not just to him. He knew that the girl held a special place in his best friend's heart as well as a few Uchihas'.

The girl frowned at his vagueness. "I know that," she snapped.

Kakashi tilted his head to the side. "Why are you so curious?" He knew why she was curious. Ino's need for gossip was just as famous as his chidori technique (which he will teach _no one_), but that didn't mean a few choice words were going to make the famous ninja crack.

"If you tell me who it is, maybe I can help you decide what kind of flowers."

The man sighed to himself. He really didn't want the news of him and Sakura to get out this way, especially since he hadn't told Obito of his intentions yet. But who knew Sakura better than her best friend? "Ah, well, just don't tell anyone." He leaned in and beckoned Ino to do the same. "It's Sakura."

The Yamanaka had to stuff her fist into her mouth in order to prevent an intense shrieking session which consisted of dancing in a little circle and scaring away all of her customers. Eventually, she began to jump up and down. Sure, an Uchiha buying flowers was one thing, but this was Hatake Kakashi. _He_ was famous.

And the fact that it was her best friend receiving the flowers didn't hurt either.

Sakura would be thrilled.

But Ino was already ecstatic.

A grin etched on her features. "I know _exactly _what to get her."

&.

"Goodnight, Hina-chan." She whispered softly to her companion before quickly shutting her door so she didn't wake her neighbor. Sakura sighed in relief as soon as she kicked her heels off. "Ah, what a night." She moaned, throwing her coat onto her couch while simultaneously shimmying out of her skirt.

Kakashi remained frozen from his spot behind her television. He wasn't hiding. No, he definitely wasn't, but that didn't mean he was doing something legal. Then again, when it comes to being a ninja, nothing is ever really illegal.

But he was pretty sure that stealing Sakura's cable (she only lived two floors down and three blocks over) was still illegal. And probably looked down upon in most countries; Obito was _so_ going to kill him for breaking into his student's apartment.

He heard the shower turn on, and Kakashi was really tempted to strip down and have his dirty, perverted way with her. Well, at least she was in the shower; that should give him plenty of time to steal her cable and hook it up to his house. Things were just getting too expensive these days, and Kakashi really didn't want to invest in cable TV when he had a perfectly willing candidate basically offering it up to him.

Meanwhile, Sakura was in the shower, too busy trying to not think of Kakashi and his abs and his _muscular_ arms – oh, there goes the soap. The pinkette reached for her shampoo and came back with face wash. Crap. She threw out her last bottle of shampoo after her last mission; up until now, she was just using soap, which Ino complained was bad for her hair, but Sakura didn't care. Sakura had two choices: leave the bathroom and its warmth or leave her hair unwashed.

Stupid vanity.

Thinking that she was alone and that her apartment was secure and empty, Sakura didn't bother to grab a towel, and just walked out of the bathroom in her birthday suit. Something fell off one of her shelves behind her. "Shit, where did I put the shampoo-"

"Uh…"

"– _the hell_!" she shrieked. Sakura quickly grabbed the ugly blanket draped over her couch to cover herself and preserve whatever modesty she had left between this man. "What are you_ doing_?" she yelled, "Why are you in my house?"

Kakashi swallowed. There was no way he was going to get out of this alive, but when in doubt, talk your way out. "Stealing… cable?" he began unsurely.

The pinkette gave him an incredulous look. "Wh-what? Why do you need to steal my cable?"

"Because it's free?"

Her mouth then resembled a dying fish before she abruptly found her composure (but sadly not her dignity) and straightened. "How did you get in here?" she demanded.

"I picked your lock. You know, that's not very safe. Any shinobi-"

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking, or gee, I don't know, common decency? Morals, perhaps? _Sanity_?"

"Haven't you ever heard of clothes?" he shot back.

The pink-haired medic-nin glared at her unwelcome companion. "Yes, but I didn't think I would need them because I didn't think there would be anyone in my house, especially someone who wants to steal _my cable_!" she finished, voice now reaching a new found pitch.

The silver-haired jounin rubbed his chin before answering. Unfortunately, he seemed to have left his common sense, as well as his brain, with Pakkun today so saying anything remotely intelligent was moot. Not that he would be coherent even if he did have his brain, because Sakura was currently in the same room as him in only a sheer blanket. "Um," he began after a long pause of awkward silence, "I think you're ruining our circle of trust by denying me entrance into your house."

That has got to be the stupidest thing he has ever said to a girl, ever. He was such a dork.

Apparently, Sakura had also left her brain in the shower. "What _circle of trust_? We don't have a circle of trust!"

"Oh," he began sensually, "I think we do."

Sakura would have totally decked him if she wasn't wearing a blanket, and if she wasn't thinking about jumping his bones. Actually, she wouldn't mind it if he came a little closer and if she accidently happened to drop her blanket – "No, no, no!" she began, "Stop it!" she half said to him and herself.

"Why?"

"Because you're stealing my cable!"

The jounin gave her two equally happy eye-creases at that, "Well, of course, it's free-"

"It's only free because you're stealing it! Which is illegal!" she shouted as she hauled the closest thing she had next to her, which happened to be a pillow. Not that hard but it still got the point across, even if he did dodge it. "Don't you have your own money?"

"Yes-"

"Then buy it yourself!" she snapped.

"But it'll ruin the circle of trust!"

Okay, she was really close to killing him now. "We don't _have_ a circle of trust!" she cried.

Kakashi blinked with various cables and wires in hands. "So can I have your cable?"

A vase promptly smashed against the wall two inches away from his head. "Get out!" she shrieked, this time wielding a frying pan. He knew that she missed on purpose, not that he would have dodged it anyway, but something told him that perhaps he was over staying his welcome. After giving her figure one more glance, he leapt out of her window. With the cables.

"Thanks for the cable, Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed on the way out, adding a cheerful "See you soon!" before abruptly leaping off the terrace.

"I hope not!" she shot back, a random potted plant in tow.

&.

Kakashi knew he shouldn't be surprised; really, he shouldn't. In fact, he was half expecting his teammate to throttle him in the middle of town, shouting expletives and insulting his masculinity. But he wasn't. Instead, when Obito caught up to him, he was met with an unintentional staring contest.

Or, rather, it was an intentional glaring session. Knowing that this was going to go next to nowhere, Kakashi pulled out his book and lifted it toward his line of vision until Obito decided to be reasonable, only to have chapter fourteen ripped away from his sight.

Take away Pakkun and Kakashi will eventually get over it. Take away his rank and he'll learn to live with it (although, he will not accept it, ever). And Obito could even try to prevent the courtship of Haruno Sakura. Sure, he could try, but Kakashi was persistent in everything he did. The fact that his best friend was her sensei didn't hinder him. In fact, it encouraged him to pursue her.

"Ah," Kakashi began, eyes narrowing slightly in an analytic way. "Was that-"

"Shut up." His best friend snapped, "Just shut up."

At this point, Kakashi would assume that Obito was devising a plan to execute Kakashi. Soon, he was sure that Obito would randomly place a genjutsu on Kakashi before wielding a kunai and attempting to chop off vital body parts.

Instead, he just kept on staring. "Are you-"

"One more word and I'll cut your finger off."

"Look," he sighed, "you weren't supposed to find out this way."

Apparently, the gentle approach was worse than the blunt approach. Immediately, Obito's mind went into overdrive. In order to find out something, there had to be _something_ to find something out about! Meaning that they were already seeing each other, and Kakashi was_** dead**_. So _dead_. "Find out? _Find out_? Have you been _seeing_ my student?"

"No." he said flatly. "I have not." Technically.

"And you got her flowers?" Obito asked, more confused than before. Why would Kakashi get a girl he's not dating flowers? Especially when she was his student, therefore off-limits to him and any of his friends. It was then when Obito realized that he was an oblivious idiot. "You have feelings for her, don't you?"

Somehow Kakashi feels like replying sarcastically would not help his case. "Yes."

The Uchiha paused and considered this thought for a moment. Kakashi was telling the truth as far as he could tell, and if he wasn't, Obito didn't know why he would risk himself to such torture. "You so much as think of her in the wrong way and I'll rip out your throat."

"Well, whether you like it or not, I am going to pursue her."

"Well then, I guess we are at an impasse."

The Hatake frowned beneath his mask. Obito using big words was never a good sign. It normally meant that someone was going to die, or worse – he was going to lose a testicle. Kakashi just hoped that it wasn't his favorite one. "I suppose we are."

As much as Obito wanted to throw his teammate into the nearest wall, he knew that Sakura would probably be broken up about it. The thought of them together made his stomach lurch, yet a part of him (probably where he heart was) warmed at the thought of their happiness. So, Obito had to make a decision. Let Kakashi rape (see: _consensual union_) his only female student or murder his teammate, resulting in Sakura's inevitable hatred of him, and died old and bitter because Sakura would ruin his love life. And she would do it, too.

Well, what did he have to lose? For Obito, he had nothing but the heart of his student basically in his hands. For Kakashi, it was everything. Why would he do that? "Don't hurt her."

The silver-haired jounin lifted his head. "What was that?"

He ignored Kakashi's smug question. "Or chop both of your balls off." Kakashi's eyes widened at his friend. Not his left testes! That was his favorite testes! Screw the right one! Couldn't he at least let him keep his left one?

"I don't think Sakura would be too happy about-"

"Too soon." He grumbled.

"Actually, I prefer it when the woman-"

Obito hovered over his unconscious teammate's body. He deserved it. Really, it was too soon. But that didn't mean Obito was hindering Kakashi. Oh _no_, because who was going to treat these bruises? And that cut on his shoulder?

His pink-haired student will have to do.

&.

When Sakura first saw her teacher with his teammate slung over his shoulder, she was sure that Konoha had been attacked. But upon, closer inspection Sakura noticed that there was no way Konoha could have been attacked with that grin on Obito-sensei's face. Either training had taken a rather ridiculously dangerous toll, Kakashi was seriously injured, or Obito had cleverly figured out how to one-up Kakashi.

Nonetheless, it didn't stop Sakura from flinging her clipboard at the nearest nurse when she realized that she might have to compete for a patient. They already had a crowd surrounding them, with Obito-sensei still grinning. The nurses were even grabbing and tearing at the Uchiha to get closer to Kakashi so they could rip his mask off.

Sakura scoffed at their naïveté. Like she would let them take her chance with Kakashi. Psh.

"Hey!" she barked, catching the attention of every suddenly bashful nurse. "Don't you have work to do?"

"But Sakura-sa-"

"-we just thought that-"

"-not fair! You always-"

"_Enough_!" she snapped. "This behavior will not be tolerated! You should all be ashamed of yourselves; there are more important things that need attending to! Back to work, all of you!"

The nurses stopped pretending to flirt with Obito and returned back to work. A few of the braver ones remained, and all but one scurried off. The one who remained was a new recruit. Certainly someone who should not be dealing with Hatake Kakashi, if she had any idea what he was like as a patient, the girl would be running away in tears in the opposite direction.

Despite her shortness (compared to Kakashi and Obito-sensei, because those two were ridiculously tall for men who should be shrinking by now), Sakura had two inches on the defiant nurse and enough clearance to haul her ass back to where ever she came from. "Work." She nodded her head in the direction of the emergency room. "Now."

"But I need training! And I'm one year older than you-" using age against Sakura was about just as bad as bragging about your bloodline limit to her; not a good idea, and it definitely ended in some bruises "-I should treat him!"

"Oh," Sakura stuttered, "I am so sorry," she apologized, "that you think you can handle him."

"Well, you sure as hell can't, _Pinky_."

"See," the pink-haired kunoichi began, turning toward her sensei, who the smug intern was also ogling, "I can't see why people keep using the nickname. I mean, my hair is pink, I get it, but you would think that they know it's been used before."

The Uchiha shrugged. Well, as much as a person could shrug while carrying dead weight. "It's a mystery."

"Okay," Sakura smirked. "You may heal him. Obito-sensei,"

Obito seemed hesitant, but upon seeing Sakura's death glare of up and coming impending doom, he knew it was wise to just hand over her potential lover's body. The male inwardly shuddered; he was never going to get used to that, especially when Kakashi kept rubbing it in his face.

The girl beamed and dragged Kakashi's body into Exam Room Two.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The girl smirked. "Of course. You see, as a medic-nin, you have to be swift when it comes to things like this."

"You're waking him up, aren't you?"

"Yup. And she should be out in three, two… one-"

The door to Exam Room Two abruptly slammed open to reveal a tearful intern behind it. She glanced at Sakura's smirking face, looked back at the room and ran away hysterically screaming. Shortly after that, Kakashi's frame came out to lean against the doorway. "Nice joke. Can you heal me now?"

Regardless of whatever she actually wanted to do (which was ogling Kakashi in that sleeveless standard issue shirt), Sakura nodded and smiled nervously at the older male. "Come on," she beckoned while shooing Obito away from his room, who was no doubt going to ruin any chance of them having a possible moment.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," he beamed. "By the way," he began to mention nonchalantly, "You look nice today." He complimented flippantly.

The pink-haired medic-nin blushed and pretended to not hear the loud growling noise her sensei made when Kakashi complimented her. "Thank you," she replied demurely as she adopted a shy disposition. The disposition, however, dropped immediately as soon as she closed the door. "Now," she smirked, "take off your shirt."

"No problem, Sakura-_chan_. But I'll have you know that my injury is on my face, not my chest."

"I know."

And that's when Kakashi realized that while Sakura was going to be a challenge to tame, he already had her heart, and he was currently holding it within his grasp.

&.

"Okay, you're all done." Sakura said with a smile.

Kakashi smiled back as he put his shirt, vest and forehead protector back on. "Thank you, Sakura-san."

The girl tried to fight back a grin, "You're welcome, Hatake-san."

"Ah," he began, suddenly feeling ridiculously old, "Call me Kakashi, please."

"Kakashi."

Obito's student remained unmoving until Kakashi coughed awkwardly. Oh, she was staring. She then blushed profusely, apologized for whatever she had done wrong, and made way to leave. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Going home."

And that was his window. By walking Sakura home, Kakashi not only made it known that she was officially off-limits; it also provided an opportunity to spend time with Sakura and possibly start their relationship. He had been looking for one for quite a while. It seems that fate has decided to smile upon him. "I will walk you." Her mouth opened to probably spew out some excuse, but Kakashi silenced that immediately. "It's really no problem."

"Alright."

The walk home was relatively quiet and consisted of Sakura thinking about _why in the hell_ Kakashi was walking her home in public when she knew that Obito-sensei would have a cow if he found out. It was quite obvious that they were walking together. There was nothing wrong with walking her home. If anything, it was right; it was considered to be acceptable, but Sakura knew that Obito-sensei would not approve.

She was about to mention this when his fingers lightly brushed hers. Sakura's head snapped up toward his.

The next thing she knew, they were holding hands like nothing was wrong. Theoretically, there was nothing wrong. Morally, there was nothing wrong except for the fact that Kakashi was nearly fourteen years her senior. To an outsider (or Naruto and Sasuke, and probably Ino, since she always had qualms about everything), he was too old for her. But to Sakura, he was just the right age.

People always said that women were more mature for their age, thus looking for a more mature man seemed to make sense. But even if he was two years younger than her, Sakura would still like him all the same. They finally reached her house.

"Thank you, Kakashi." She murmured.

"No problem, Sakura." Then he gave her an eye-crease and stepped back to give her some room to open her door.

"Well…" she trailed off as she stepped through the threshold. "I guess I'll-"

Her short yet awkward monologue was cut off by a quick and firm kiss to her lips. While Sakura remained bewildered and rooted to the ground, Kakashi took pleasure in her shell-shocked expression. "You'll catch flies that way." He teased, grinning behind his mask. "See you tomorrow."

Tomorrow, yes. Wait, tomorrow? What was tomorrow? "What's tomorrow?"

He pivoted around, still walking but now backwards, towards her. "Date. See you at seven."

As soon as Sakura got home, she dove into the shower. That did not just happen. It didn't. It really didn't. She did not just finish her physical on Kakashi, have him insist that he walk her home and almost let him get a kiss! Yes, she may have had a crush on him but that didn't mean he could _go in for a smooch_ whenever he felt like it!

Sakura had morals.

And boundaries.

And a wish list, and _by God_, one of those wishes have almost been granted!

There was a knock on her door. Sakura sighed; she was halfway through washing her hair. Nonetheless, she couldn't leave the door unanswered; it might be important. She shoved a robe on, took notice of the two bouquets on her counter, and went to open the door.

"What is it – uh…"

"I forgot something." Kakashi supplied, stepping into her apartment and shutting the door with his foot. Sakura noted that his forehead protector was now being flung onto the couch as he slowly advanced on her.

"I was taking a shower."

And somehow, that sounded more like an invitation than an excuse. "I can see that." The next things to go were his boots and vest.

"Kakashi, we shouldn't-"

"Stop thinking about what we should do, and think of what we could do, what we _will_ do." The mask came off. Was this the same man that walked her home? It seems that chivalry was only used when there was something in it for him. And before Sakura could marvel at his face, he leaned in for their second kiss.

The robe slipped off her shoulders and slid haphazardly to the floor. The steam from the bathroom assaulted her senses and her back, and it almost made Sakura pull away. But then Kakashi put his hand behind her neck to gain more access and Sakura's better judgment jumped out the window with her heart and brain.

He pushed her into the shower, causing his remaining clothes to dampen. Never once, did he break their kiss, not even when he took off his shirt. Instead, he pulled out a kunai and ripped it open. He didn't want to ruin the moment anymore than he already had.

"What about our date?" she rasped out.

"I think we can afford to be a little early."

Outside of the shower, Kakashi's soaked pants and underwear met the floor.

&.

Sakura never thought that _'the morning after' _could be something to look forward to. In fact, according to Ino, it was something to dread and to avoid at all costs. But Sakura was pretty sure that one night stands do not end or feel like this. Sakura didn't do one night stands and she was pretty sure that Kakashi had better intentions than a nice lay with his best friend's student.

Student.

_**Student.**_

Obito was going to kill him when he found out! No – he was going to kill them _both_. Oh God, she had sex! Oh God, she just used God and sex in the same thought process! Oh, she did it again! Sakura tugged at the roots of her hair. What was she going to do?

"Obito-sensei is going to _maim_ you!" She suddenly cried out.

"Come now, Sakura, he isn't going to maim me."

"But he is!" she continued, completely ignoring the way he was tracing patterns on her bare back. "He's going to skin you alive, chop off your balls and feed them to your pack! Kakashi he's going to kill you! And then he's going to make me watch so I don't do it again!" Sakura then stuffed her face into a pillow and attempted to smother herself to death.

"Probably." He mused, grinning visibly.

Her mouth gaped open at his audacity. This was a serious moment! It was not a time to be making jokes and smiling at her like that, especially with those dimples… and perfectly white teeth. Sakura had never been jealous of a man before, but Kakashi's beauty was making her think that anything was possible.

Kakashi dropped his affable grin and replaced it with a frown (Sakura inwardly flailed at the loss and died a little inside that day) along with a calculating expression. No wonder he wore his mask, anyone could tell what he was thinking by just glancing at his face.

"It was just a joke. Besides," he explained in an deadpanned voice, "it's not like I would _let_ him maim me."

"Of course you wouldn't let him!" she wailed, "But Obito-sensei is a lot stronger than you give him credit for."

"I _know_."

"Then why are you being so calm about-" this is when Kakashi lowered his head for a kiss, "-this?" she finished when he finally pulled away.

The Hatake licked his lips, "Because, he already knows."

The pinkette blinked up at him, "He does?"

"Yes,"

She gave him a skeptical look, "And he doesn't care?" she inquired, tugging at the ends of his hair to stare him straight in the eyes. Sakura didn't think that the colors black and gray could be attractive, but Kakashi's eyes were the exception. They were the prettiest shade of gray.

"Not really, although, he did threaten to chop my balls off."

The medic-nin let out an exasperated sigh. It was just like her sensei to be unreasonably overprotective of her when she was with someone who was probably more loyal than a dog and more protective than her whole team put together. "That would be unfortunate."

"Indeed."

A moment of thoughtful silence followed after that. Sakura abruptly sat up. "Want some pancakes?" she asked, sliding out bed, grabbing her abused robe from the hallway (while simultaneously ignoring the hungry stare from Kakashi when she bent over) and tying it tightly with a triple knot.

When Sakura walked into the kitchen, she grabbed the two bouquets and placed them in their own vases respectively. One was an arrangement done by Ino (she would notice her friend's signature style from a mile away) and the other looked like it was done by Ino's father. It was easy to tell the difference since the second one was simply twelve white roses with baby's breath (obviously done by Ino's dad), and the first one had her favorite flowers and colors all arranged in a unique pattern that Sakura had never thought of before.

Whoever gave her the first bouquet must have had a lot of money, and they probably cared for her. Calla lilies were a rarity in Fire Country, and they were also a popular choice for weddings, funerals and award ceremonies for women. The orchids, also expensive, complimented her and the bouquet.

Now, where were the cards? The white roses, as she soon found out, were from Uchiha Itachi. Strange, considering the fact that these would probably help him more if he gave them to his ex-fiancé. In the card, it simply read the word '_Try_', but it definitely wasn't Itachi's handwriting; and there was a ink-splotch right next to the last character. What on earth did that mean?

After receiving a bouquet from Uchiha Itachi for no reason, Sakura was a bit wary of looking at the next card. What if it was also from him, declaring his undying love for her? That would surely make training and going over to Sasuke's a lot more awkward.

The kunoichi let out a sigh of relief when she read the name _Hatake Kakashi_. It would look really bad if she received two bouquets from two different men when she was also with another man. The card said _'Love Hatake Kakashi' _and nothing else.

"Do you like them?"

Sakura gave him a sly look. "Of course,"

"Good."

Sakura grinned at him. "So, do you want chocolate chip or blueberry-"

"I don't care." He whispered before engulfing her in a kiss.

&.

There she was, frolicking around with the Hatake, like there wasn't a care in the world. The future Matriarch of the Uchiha clan couldn't be seen cavorting with him. She couldn't be seen cavorting with anyone else besides Itachi. Why did women insist on making everything difficult?

So, like any good great (a million greats) Uncle that he was, he decided to approach the pair and set her straight.

"Sakura-san," he greeted.

Sakura blinked. Wasn't he supposed to be under house-arrest? "Madara-sama, shouldn't you be at home? It is awfully hot today, you could overheat and pass out from exhaustion. Really, we should get you inside. Are you thirsty? Maybe we can stop by the grocery store and get you some water."

Great. Another one to add to the list who doesn't trust him to walk around the block by himself. He was a dignified figure in history! Not a five year old who didn't know the difference between hot and cold! "I assure you, Sakura-san, I will be fine. May I have a word?"

The pink-haired kunoichi glanced at Kakashi, who just impassively blinked at her in disinterest. Really, why should he care about this old coot? Still, it was as if Sakura was asking his permission to leave him be for a few moments to converse with the elderly man, and he had no qualms about it.

"Of course," she nodded hesitantly. As soon as they were far enough away, Madara fixed her with a stern expression. "What is it, Madara-sama?"

"You shouldn't be out with other men, Sakura-chan, it sends out the wrong message."

Sakura bristled at that and Kakashi visibly stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?" she snarled, forgetting about pleasantries and manners.

"That Itachi would not be pleased."

"Itachi would… oh, so that's what you've been doing! I knew that he wouldn't send me flowers."

"Itachi sent you flowers?" Kakashi grumbled.

Sakura put a hand behind her head. "Er… perhaps." In an attempt to soothe him, Sakura shrugged and gave him an innocent grin. She hoped that he wasn't too mad at her for their date tonight. The girl spared him a glance; he did not look amused. "Oh come on! It's not like I would accept his fake advances!"

"But Sakura-san! You would be perfect for the Uchiha clan. And you and Itachi are such good friends. Kakashi has Hanare…" Before Sakura could question, just _who the hell_ Hanare was, Madara continued, "It's only inevitable that-"

"There you are Madara-sama!" a voice called from behind the couple and elderly man. "I've been looking for you all over the place! It's almost as if you were avoiding me!" she declared, taking in a few uneasy breaths due to their hectic day of searching for the AWOL Uchiha.

The Uchiha's affable demeanor dropped as his shoulders sagged in defeat. "That was the point." He mumbled. "Ah, well, you caught me." He shrugged.

"Well, let's get you home-"

"Wait a minute!" Sakura yelled, "I'm not done with you yet!" she declared. "Why would you think that Itachi would want to be with me? He just broke up with his fiancé – I'm also positive that the last thing on his mind is finding another wife, especially after what she did to him."

Madara sighed; the girl had good points. Perhaps she was right. "I think I may have gone too far."

"Oh really? Wait, did you break them up on purpose?"

"That's a possibility." He admitted bashfully. "But I was sure that you would be quite with Itachi; I didn't count on Hatake ruining my plans." Kakashi was a bit miffed by that comment, but he decided not to comment on it since Sakura was already setting the man straight.

The pinkette sighed. "Madara-sama, with all due respect, you mustn't meddle with affairs of the heart. I know that things were done differently when you were courting your wife, but times have changed, and people marry for love instead of convenience or status. Yes, you can push them in the direction that you think is best for them, but you can't change anything when it comes to the heart." Sakura glanced back at Kakashi, "Love is sudden," She explained, "and when it happens, you know. Didn't you feel that when you met your wife?"

The elderly man nodded mutely. Sakura would have been an excellent choice as a wife for Itachi, but perhaps she was too headstrong and wise for her own good. Uchihas needed slightly submissive wives, who knew when it was appropriate to speak; Sakura would have caused problems for Itachi within the first week.

"Yes," he finally answered, "I suppose I did."

"Good, then you understand?"

"Of course, Sakura-san. But may I ask you a question?" she nodded, "Would you love Kakashi if he was born in another country, another world, another universe?"

And without missing a beat, Sakura replied with a solid "Yes."

"Very well, then."

&.

"You're what?"

Madara nodded at his ex-fiancé, "I'm approving of your union; now, go be together."

Itachi blinked and barely acknowledged his ex-fiancé presence; she was the one who broke up with him. Why should he be the one to make the first move? "Hn. As much as I appreciate that, Uncle, the point, however, it most likely moot since-"

"Oh, shut up, you stubborn jackass."

Itachi barely had the time to register the fact that his ex-fiancé was kissing him, and that she was also leading it. Well, he'll just have to change that, won't he? Slowly, he wrapped an arm around her middle to pull her closer (and also take control, because his elitist ass wouldn't let him do it otherwise) and push her against the wall while his free hand pressed into the wall next to her head.

"I love you." She admitted.

"Hn. I know."

She smacked his arm, "Ass,"

&.

Sakura shot up. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "What a dream." She said to herself, rubbing her head. That had to be the weirdest, most oddly specific and controllable dream that she has ever had. It was weird because life was basically perfect, Kakashi wasn't her sensei and Sasuke wasn't a crazy maniac bent on the destruction of everything his brother fought for. Oh, and Madara was turned good by her stupid little speeches.

Che. Like any bad guy would fall for that.

The dream was also weird because Kakashi was breaking into her apartment and sexing her up every five seconds. Obviously, her subconscious had a better opinion of Kakashi then she apparently did. Like that ass would get her flowers. Please. He couldn't even remember her birthday.

Hm, what day was it, again?

March 29th, oh, he was going to get it. First he haunts her dreams and now he forgets her birthday? Again?

Sakura threw off her covers and hastily got dress, not even bothering to eat breakfast since the promise of vendetta was on the mind. During her search for Kakashi, she pondered on the odd relationship she and dream Kakashi had. Dream-Kakashi obviously understood that love had no bounds.

The real Kakashi? Well, he forgets birthdays and avoids her like the plague. Sakura couldn't quite explain her animosity, but she felt like she should take it out on someone, and that someone was Kakashi. When she did find him (he was sitting on a bench, reading that damn book of his), Sakura stomped right up to him.

"I hope you die a merciless and horrible death." Sakura hissed out at him rather viciously before trudging away. Kakashi didn't even bat an eyelash, and he continued reading until he heard her stomp back over to him. The book he was reading (i.e. Icha Icha) was lowered only a fraction so he could give her an 'as-if' look when she suddenly reeled her hand back and smacked him across the face.

Snapping his book shut, Kakashi turned to look at the young woman, but she was already too busy fuming away from him and wreaking more misfortune over other people. _Just what the hell did he do_?

"Um, _Sakura_." Kakashi called. "Care to explain this?" he asked, pointing to his unmasked face, which was obviously red from the slap. That was another thing! Dream-Kakashi showed her his face!

"Yes. I do," she snarled, "You are an arrogant prick who obviously has the memory of a turtle." Kakashi hummed in response, as if he was actually listening. "And even in my dreams, you're still slightly a jealous asshole who doesn't understand the concept of personal space. And – and – you know what _else_?"

"What else, Sakura-chan?" he asked, leaning down to meet her gaze.

"I learned more from my own** subconscious** than what I've learned from you in the past eight years!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes!" she shouted, exasperated. "And I'm not being irrational! I had a dream about a perfect world and I had all the options in the world – but I still picked you! No matter what scenario I was pushed into, I was still head over heels in love with you."

Ah, so that's why she was angry. "Is that why you're so riled up?"

"Yes!" she cried, "Because even in my dreams, you're the one thing that remains constant. Love is sudden. It doesn't judge; it doesn't have a preference. It just decides. And I guess the reason why I'm so mad is that the Kakashi in my dream could realize that, but the real Kakashi can't."

"So you're angry that your dream isn't real?"

The pinkette nodded, angry tears already streaming down her face. Why did she have to be so irrational and emotional? "Yes." She gasped, "I guess I wish that you were more like the Kakashi in my dream."

"Sakura," he began, "If we lived in a perfect world, I wouldn't have the Sharingan. And Obito would be alive, perhaps even the fourth and his wife. We can't change things that have already happened, however, there is still a chance to change the future. I know it hurts to have such a realistic dream, only to be brought back to this, but would you really want to live in a predictable world with no excitement?"

"Maybe…" she frowned. "No, I'd prefer it if the dream Kakashi was real. Or, well – I wish I never had that dream. But I know he isn't real; I just wish he was." She was babbling. Stop babbling.

"Well, he isn't," Kakashi stated, "But I am, so I guess you'll just have to settle for me."

Sakura's head snapped up. "Really?" she asked, joy bubbling in her heart. "If this is a joke-"

"Come now, Sakura, when have you _ever_ known me to do such a thing?"

"Every day of my-" Unfortunately, the last word was left unsaid since Kakashi decided that he had enough of Sakura's babbling. Sakura surprised Kakashi by breaking the kiss, "By the way, who's Hanare?"

Kakashi inwardly blanched and thanked the gods for giving his ex-student a poor memory before continuing their kiss.

&.

I hope you enjoyed this! Happy Holidays!

Oh-ho, what's this? Bonus material? Yes. :D

&.

"Hi, I'm Kakashi-sensei and I'll be your squad leader for the rest of your life if you suck at being a ninja."

The two girls stared at his maskless face (Sakura made him take it off) and nearly fainted when he grinned at his waving girlfriend. The boy, who was busy reading a book of some sort, pointedly ignored him until he specifically asked him a question.

Kakashi hated kids.

"Ah, Sakura-chan, what's brings you here?"

"I'm pregnant." She blurted.

On second thought, kids were not that bad.

&.

_Special thanks to Sam for encouraging me to best her._

&.

"Eh? Kakashi-sensei, why are you – OHMYGOD, MY EYES!"

Sakura slapped a hand to her forehead. "Idiot."

"I know you are, but what am I?" Kakashi mused.

She took out a kunai pointed it at him, "Watch it. You're still on probation for not being as awesome as the dream-Kakashi."

"Can you please stop calling him that? I feel like I have two personalities."

&.

_And Danielle, for claiming that I am Thomas Jefferson._

&.

"_Sakura_ – agh, Akane that was not something an Uchiha does. Learn from your father, do the exact opposite of what he does. – what's up?" Shisui grinned as he leaned against a counter, successfully obtaining the title of the hottest single father out there.

"Hello-" Sakura swallowed her crush that she had on him, "-Shisui."

His dimples showed this time, "Do you think we could-"

"Otou-san, why do you always talk to every pretty lady in the building?"

"Ha!" Sakura barked, "I love kids."

&.

_Friends and family._

&.

Minato grinned at his student. Making the student become the master of someone else was not only something a teacher looked forward to, it was also something to rub in said student's face if they particularly didn't prefer to be around children.

"You heard me." He smugly replied. "I'm assigning you to Obito's team. I consider this to be a favor since you already like one his students. Just don't make this into a habit, okay?"

"Minato-sensei, I would never-"

The Hokage coughed into his hand and it suspiciously sounded like 'pedophile'. "I am _NOT_ a pedophile."

"Oh yeah? And what are you currently reading?"

"I'm a pervert; there's a difference." He sneered.

&.

_The KakaSaku community for making this possible._

&.

"Sakura and WHO?" Sasuke asked.

"Itachi." Madara stated simply.

Sasuke snorted into his half-eaten tomato. "As if." He retorted. "Sakura knows better than to engage a relationship with an emotionally stunted supposed human being; it's her nature to dislike all and any Uchiha. _Including me_." He muttered at the end.

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"The day that happens, I'll slaughter everyone in Konoha."

The elderly man visibly cringed at his great (a million greats) nephew. "It's disturbing how easily you can say that sentence without remorse."

&.

_**Starlightdawn**__ for being so awesome._

&.

"Sakura, huh?" Genma asked.

Kakashi spared him a sideways glance and mentally prepared himself for a possible fight that would break out if Genma said the wrong thing. You would think that the man would learn to keep his damn trap shut after all these years.

"Yes."

"Nice." He approved, as if Kakashi needed it.

(He totally needed it.)

And all was well until – "I'd totally tap that."

Needless to say, when Sakura found Genma's bloodied and bruised body outside of a bar, she could only guess that he ran his mouth again and didn't question Kakashi's oddly cheerful disposition. "Why are you so happy?" she asked.

He gave her an eye-crease. "I guess I like punching people." He shrugged, and Sakura sighed.

&.

_In all seriousness, my bitches and hos. You know who you are._

&.

"Kushina!" Minato yelped, "I didn't mean it!"

"I am pregnant with our third child and all you can think to say is '_well, I hope Kakashi doesn't mind'_. I mean, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you having some sort of affair with your student that I don't know about?"

"It was a joke! You would totally get it if you were here fifteen minutes ago!"

"Is that some sort of innuendo?" she shouted.

And Minato inwardly noticed that if Kushina wasn't pregnant, he _still_ wouldn't have the privilege to question her ridiculous accusations.

&.

_My sister and cousin for helping me analyze behavior and apply it to my writing._

&.

"-and then Madara got his fiancé into a hospital. Somehow, he thought that we would fall in love at first sight, even though we've seen each other probably hundred times before that. Apparently, me and Itachi are pretty tight in the dream world."

Sasuke gaped – _gaped_! – at his pink-haired teammate. Naruto let out a howl of laughter before falling to the ground in order to roll around in laughter more efficiently.

"Is that some sort of innuendo?" Sai asked innocently.

"Oh yeah, and _**he**_ wasn't there."

Naruto was immediately at her side. "Ohmigosh, where do I **sign up** to get to this mysterious world?"

&.

_Eriiin for helping me overcome my writer's block that lasted two days._

&.

"I'm sorry, Mikoto, I have failed you."

The Uchiha matriarch frowned at the news, but said nothing. Just when her humble servant thought that he was off the hook, Mikoto's lips curled into a devilish and slightly terrifying smile. "You have another plan, don't you?" he asked in a deadpanned voice.

"Don't worry, Madara-sama, it doesn't require too much lying on your part."

"Oh good, because you _know_ how much I hate that."

&.

_Cherrie-Keane for listening to my wails._

&.

Sakura was going to kill the both of them.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, we only had your best interests at heart. Really."

Shisui rubbed the back of his head. "Well, truthfully, I was in it for the chicks – oof – I was _kidding_." He glared.

"No you weren't." Obito said.

&.

_And lastly, my beta, Paisley May, for putting up with KakaSaku (because she thinks it's creepy) and fixing it anyway._

&.

"Ne, Kakashi," Sakura began one day from underneath one of the trees at Team Seven's training grounds, "do you think you and Obito would still be friends if we really got together and if he was my sensei?"

"Well," Kakashi began, "I know I wouldn't be his friend if he got together with you."

Sakura snorted into her bento box. "Well, duh."

Kakashi shrugged and kissed the top of her head. "It doesn't matter, because those are just dreams, and this is reality. But I appreciate the fact that your subconscious is united with your conscious mind on your romantic interests."

"Is that what you tell yourself when you dream of _Hanare_?" Sakura teased.

"_I will kill you_." He glared.

"No you won't," she replied cheekily, "You _love_ me, you want to _marry_ me, you want to _make babies_ with – mpph!"

"Yes, yes, and yes. Let's get started on that last one, shall we?"

&.

_**Fin.**_

&.

No, seriously, this is the end.

Seriously.

GO AWAY.

SERIOUSLY, I HAVE NOTHING LEFT. NADA. ZERO. ZILCH.

Ugh, fine.

&.

_Lastly, Kishimoto, for giving us something to ship in the first place._

&.

"Hey, do you think they would actually make Kakashi become a jounin teacher if we already had your cousin-slash-uncle as our sensei?"

"Hn."

"Seriously, teme, I can maim you."

Sasuke snorted. As if. "Yeah right, dobe."

&.

"_No broken heart, no familiar scars – this territory goes uncharted."_


End file.
